Referenda and European Integration: A Misguided Procedure?

Garnet Travelling Seminar presented by CERI Sciences Po (Paris), the Center for Policy Studies, and the Center for EU Enlargement Studies

GARNET Policy Brief by Christian Lequesne

This policy brief investigated the use of referendums in the process of European integration. It considered whether and how the construction of a European polity encouraged the practice of direct democracy, the reasons underlying the decision to hold referendums, and the factors structuring voting behavior in terms of participation and outcomes. The brief concluded with a series of recommendations on harmonizing the practice and timing of referendums across EU member states and/or introducing a 'European referendum' procedure.

Presenter:

• Christian Lequesne (Centre Français de Recherche en Sciences Sociales, Prague)

Discussant:

• Philippe Schmitter (European University Institute, Florence)

Chair:

• Peter Balazs (Central European University, Budapest)

GARNET is a Network of Excellence project on ‘Global Governance, Regionalization and Regulation. The Role of the EU,’ funded by the 6th Framework Program of the European Commission, and coordinated by the Centre for the Study of Globalisation and Regionalisation at the University of Warwick. For more information please consult www.garnet-eu.org.

Documents:

Full policy brief (Download)